The Full Meisner Training Programme

Full Meisner Training Programme

TRAIN IN THE COMPLETE SYLLABUS OF THE MEISNER TECHNIQUE

Intimacy is a key goal for students to feel comfortable with sharing publically

Improvisations get heated towards the end of Stage 2

Discovering sadness in relationship exercises (Stage 2 Meisner)

The Meisner Technique: Living truthfully under imaginary circumstances

“Acting isn’t lying, it’s telling the deepest truth. The Sanford Meisner Technique is defined as the simple act of doing – of action borne on emotion, which takes place one honest moment at a time.” – Sanford Meisner

The Meisner Technique gives actors a systematic approach to their work through core exercises to achieve greater emotional freedom and versatility as well as rigorous use of imagination explored through character, text and scene work. Actors work to focus on truthful, moment-to-moment acting, creating greater emotional depth while maintaining ease and grace in performance. Much attention is given to collaboration with your scene partner, being present and responding truthfully, and in the moment, to the circumstances surrounding you. Teaching is in small groups in a supportive, non-judgmental, professional environment. We focus on eradicating unhelpful habits and honing your work to the commercial demands of the industry. The stages of the Meisner training (outlined below) deliver core skills, which actors absorb and develop as part of their ongoing personal process.

“Acting is fun. Don’t let that get around.” – Sanford Meisner

—— READ BELOW TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE TRAINING ——

STAGE 1: Be a more instinctive actor.

Introduction to the Meisner Technique and the Repetition Exercise

“Thank you…I loved the Meisner intro, I discovered so much (including how much I still love acting) and can’t wait to continue.” Clare Szembek, Actor

Who could benefit from this course?

actors who feel out of practice and want to re-hone their skills

anyone seeking a systematic approach to acting

actors looking to unlock their emotional potential and conquer self-consciousness

How does it work?

practice working moment to moment with another actor

focused feedback and individual attention

a supportive environment to explore personal challenges

small classes with a non-judgmental atmosphere

What do you gain?

become more emotionally available, enhancing your versatility as an actor

learn to respond honestly to external impulses

become a present and truthful actor

STAGE 2: Deepen your acting and connection to your partner

“Act before you think – your instincts are more honest than your thoughts.” – Sanford Meisner

“this is the place to be…I’m being challenged and inspired beyond my wildest dreams” Jenna Lyle, Actor

Improvisation simulates a scene-like situation. It is a key stage in the Meisner Technique, teaching you how to defeat self-consciousness when alone on stage, how to prepare before your entrance and how to work with your partner in the moment, enhancing and developing your emotional and intellectual capacity to create/improvise instinctively.

You will be taught how to work with your partner in order to live truthfully through imaginative scenarios. You will also be introduced to the method of emotional preparation. This will further develop your emotional range and ability to “live truthfully under imaginary circumstances”, which is the benchmark for any Meisner-trained actor.

This stage of the training teaches you how to add complexities and layers to your work by exploring how to play relationships you may or may not have experienced in your own life. You will discover the nuances and subtleties available to you in the moment with your partner, regardless of your life experience.

You will create imaginative relationships with your partner using simple and easily practiced methods, finding out how to truthfully get what you want, and discovering the power of using relationships in your work.

This course will expand your emotional acting range further and allow you to use the skills you are developing with more flexibility and precision. It also teaches you how to make simple decisions that register a complex effect.

STAGE 3: CHARACTER, MONOLOGUE AND SCENE WORK

Become a dynamic, bold and confident actor

“I’ve always remembered something Sanford Meisner, my acting teacher, told us. When you create a character, it’s like making a chair, except instead of making something out of wood, you make it out of yourself. That’s the actor’s craft using yourself to create a character.” – Robert Duvall

“Fabulous, challenging, exciting, scary! The cherry on the cake! Do it, Do it, do it!!!” Louise Devlin, Actor

Learning how to free your impulses and follow your instincts in your acting is vital, and this is what the first half of the Meisner Technique focuses on. In this final stage of the technique, you will focus on how to apply these skills to creating character and approaching text work.

The demands of the industry require that an actor hits their mark, remembers their blocking, brings their truth to a character that might be worlds away from them in behaviour, belief, age or culture. The Meisner Technique covers these demands in a systematic, simple yet effective way.

This stage takes what you have learnt about text analysis as we apply it to monologues. You will apply improvisation skills to find hidden depth to your monologue, and text analysis will enable to you play it truthfully and deeply. Meanwhile you will learn how to add ‘character’ to your work.

This area of the technique allows you to bring a sense of play and theatricality to your work. By studying various genres, you will learn how to consistently apply a sense of truth to your performance, and also how to add characteristics, such as age, the influence of drink/drugs, accents and physical handicaps while still remaining connected to your performance.

The final part of the training teaches you how to play a scene with your partner, rich in emotional colour and full of instinctive choices, while remaining true to the author’s intentions and a director’s vision.